Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric connector configured so as to electrically connect contact members and a signal transmission medium to each other by subjecting an actuator to a moving operation.
Description of Related Art
Generally, in various electric devices, etc., various electric connectors are widely used as means for electrically connecting various signal transmission media such as flexible printed circuits (FPC) and flexible flat cables (FFC). For example, in an electric connector mounted and used on a printed wiring substrate like below-described Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-251760, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H07-142130, etc., a signal transmission medium consisting of the above described FPC, FFC, or the like is inserted to the interior thereof through an opening of an insulating housing (insulator), and an actuator (connection operating means) at “standby position (opened position)” at which the signal transmission medium is caused to be in an opened state at that point of time is configured to be turned so as to be pushed down toward “working position (closed position)” in the front side or the rear side of the electric connector by the operating force of an operator.
Then, when the above described actuator (connection operating means) is subjected to a moving (turning) operation to “working position (closed position)” at which the signal transmission medium is sandwiched, a medium pressing portion (pressurizing portion) provided on the actuator is brought into pressure-contact with the surface of the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, or the like), and the pressing force of the medium pressing portion (pressurizing portion) of the actuator electrically connects electrically-conductive paths provided on the signal transmission medium to contact portions of contact members and, at the same time, causes the signal transmission medium to be in a fixed state. On the other hand, when the actuator at the “working position (closed position)” is subjected to a moving (turning) operation toward the previous “standby position (opened position)” in the direction to raise it to the upper side, the pressing force of the medium pressing portion (pressurizing portion) of the actuator is released, and, when it reaches the “standby position (opened position)”, the signal transmission medium can be removed.
Herein, conventional electric connectors have a tendency that, when the actuator is moved (turned) to the “working position (closed position)”, the pressing force applied from the actuator is applied to the contact members in a state in which the pressing force is dispersed in the multipolar arrangement direction of the contact members. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-251760 discloses a configuration in which a pressurizing portion 15A provided on a pressurizing member 15 strongly presses a flat cable C toward contact portions 12 and electrically connect them. However, the pressurizing portion 15A, which pressurizes them, is in a positional relation that it is shifted in a multipolar arrangement direction with respect to the contact portions 12 and electrically-conductive paths provided on the flat cable C. Therefore, the state of contact between the electrically-conductive paths provided on the signal transmission medium and the contact portions of the contact members may become unstable. Furthermore, if unexpected external force is applied to the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, or the like), it is conceivable that the signal transmission medium may be separated from the contact members. Particularly, in recent years in which electric connectors are downsized and thinned, the above described state of contact between both of the members is required to be more reliably maintained.
We disclose prior patent documents as follows.    1. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-251760    2. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1995 (H07)-142130